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Mhal
The Fundamentalist Church of Mhal The worship of Mhal is the youngest religion in Domhain Byd. Mhalites believe their god is the One True God, having been born into human form so as to show his followers the way. Mhal is said to be the true incarnation of the Great God, who chose to be born into the body of a male Daoine three hundred years before the Council of Kings was created. He came to Domhain Byd to punish his followers for perverting his message and to show them how to make amends for their wrongs. Mhalites believe that all other gods are demons and false. The followers of Llahm are particularly reviled, for being responsible for perverting Mhal's message in the first place. Those who do not worship Mhal will be dissolved in the belly of the Eternal Dragon in the afterlife every night and then remade whole to continue their torture the following morning, forever. As such, anything they might do to the heathens is seen as just and right, for it cannot be worse than what Mhal himself will have done to them. Those who have made themselves right with Mhal will instead find their afterlife a rich reward. Righteous men will be transported to the Garden of Pleasure, where all things are edible, all water has been replaced with wine, and each man has three virginal concubines to satisfy him. Righteous women will be rejuvinated to virginity every day and allowed to service a righteous man. When Mhal was born into human form, he made the people revile and hate him so as to show them their own wickedness. His will guided them to torture him to death in public at the age of seventeen. Only those with the purest of faith were then able to see him ascend to the Garden of Pleasure and give his final decree: only those who purified themselves through his sacrifice would be able to see the Garden. He would return again and again and each time his incarnation was found, he would be tortured to death at the age of seventeen. All Mhalites are expected to make the pilgrimage to the city of Haan and participate at least once in their life. Those who do not are lost to the Eternal Dragon. In addition to engaging in sacrifice, Mhalites have many other restrictions on their behavior: *Men must keep their hair shorn, while all women are expected to keep theirs long. Any woman who cuts her hair short must be burned to remove the wickedness from among them. *All sexual activity must be for the purpose of creating children. Homosexuality, non-procreative sex acts and the use of contraception are forbidden. Any who do these things must be burned to remove the wickedness from among them. *Drinking to drunkenness is forbidden, as is eating to the point of gluttony. Any who do these things must be burned to remove the wickedness from among them. *The meat of rats, pigs, horses, goats, cats, wolves and falcons are unclean because of their association with Strainseiri. Any who eat these things must be burned to remove the wickedness from among them. *Laying with or providing aid to wild Strainseiri is forbidden, for they are unclean animals. Any who do these things must be burned to remove the wickedness from among them. *Druidry and witchcraft are forbidden. Strangely, magery is embraced, despite its association with other gods. Any who practice druidry or witchcraft must be burned to remove the wickedness from among them. *Women must obey their fathers. If their fathers are dead, then they must obey their brothers and uncles. If they are married, then they must obey their husbands. If they are widowed, then they must obey their sons. If a woman lacks any man to speak for her, then she must be taken as a slave. Any who fail to do these things must be burned to remove the wickedness from among them. *Children born deformed are the work of evil. Both mother and child must be burned to remove the wickedness from among them. The priests of Mhal are blessed for their sacrifices and for faithfully keeping to Mhal's commandments. For their righteousness, they are granted the ability to resurrect the dead as Ghilen to smite their enemies. The Reform Church of Mhal Considered heresy by others, the Reform Church was founded by King Devlin I, who became king as a boy when his father died. While sailing back to Jallen to claim his throne, a terrible storm led to two men being injured. One was tangled in the ropes of the sails and had his arms torn from their sockets. The other had his head crushed. Both would surely die and may have served Devlin I as Ghilen, but in a fit of divine inspiration--which his detractors call madness--he took the arms from the man whose brain had been destroyed and sewed them onto the man who had lost his limbs. From what should have been two deaths, one man was left whole and healthy. He was imprisoned on the ship for weeks by his religious advisor Brother Uvi, along with the man he had saved, named Pitr. Yet despite being imprisoned, he found followers. Slaves, women, those who were loyal to the crown above all else, saw a chance for something new for Mhalites. He and his disciples rose up against Brother Uvi once they made landfall. From Devlin I's experiences fighting in Aitbheth and yet being forgiven by Cu Syeira even after he had been responsible for her aunt's death, a new concept of faith was born. The Reform Church holds these beliefs: * Mhal loves His people. Therefore any commandment which is counter to love cannot truly be from Mhal. * All people may be saved by Mhal. Therefore all people must be equal. * Mhal abhors death. Therefore it is better to prevent death through healing than to resurrect those who have already died. * No mortal can be more merciful or loving than Mhal. Therefore Mhal must forgive all transgressions and wish to see no harm done. Category:Gods